Gastrointestinal Diseases

Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease, where the immune system attacks and destroys the cells that make the hormone insulin. Insulin is absolute necessary to control sugar levels in the blood. This means people with T1D have to rely on insulin injections to control their sugar levels all their lives.

Studies show that transplanting stem cells can help reverse diabetes, by producing cells that make insulin. Many clinical trials are underway looking at the potential of using stem cells to make beta cells, so people with T1D will no longer have to rely on insulin.

TRIAL HYPOTHESIS

CLINICAL TRIAL ID

Is it safe and effective to use mesenchymal stem cells from the umbilical cord to treat type 1 diabetes?

Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) results when beta cells in the pancreas do not produce enough of the hormone insulin, which is responsible for maintaining sugar levels in the blood. Once diagnosed, this metabolic disorder is treated with medication (eg: metformin, sulfonylurea), dietary changes and exercise, based on disease severity.

Several different types of stem cells are under investigation for the treatment of T2D. Below is a list of clinical trials looking at the use of umbilical cord stem cells to treat this chronic disease.

TRIAL HYPOTHESIS

CLINICAL TRIAL ID

Can umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells be combined with standard drugs like Liraglutide to observe better outcomes with T2D?

Crohn’s Disease

People with Crohn’s disease experience abdominal pain, diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss and malnutrition, because of inflammation that happens in the digestive tract. It’s one of the inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) that is painful, debilitating and can sometimes have life-threatening complications.

There is no cure for Crohn’s and current therapies focus on reducing the symptoms. Due to their regenerative capabilities, researchers are looking at the possibility of using stem cells to ‘reset’ the immune system – to make new cells that reduce inflammation, stimulate repair and dampen the immune response that leads to the disease.

Other Metabolic Disorders

Metabolism describes chemical reactions that happen in the body to properly breakdown nutrients. Metabolic disorders are caused when the body is unable to process metabolites either because the liver or the pancreas does not function properly or because there is an enzyme deficiency. Inherited metabolic disorders occur when a person inherits a defective gene, and can’t produce a specific enzyme.